Top 10 Fictional Boyfriends

I got the idea for this post from Kelly Oram’s blog, but I decided to put my own spin on it. Some of these fictional guys are really similar to guys I’ve dated in the past and some of them I would want to date in the future… but unfortunately, most real guys are nowhere near as perfect as the ones in books.

1. Quentin Compson from William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury – Something about Quentin just makes me want to cuddle him. Probably because he’s so depressed and obsessed all the time, but it might also be because he was smart enough to get into Harvard, or how powerless he is against the strange fate of his family. Either way, I thought he was cute.

2. F’lar from Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series – Ever since I first got into this series in the 8th grade, I wanted a guy like F’lar, but most of the guys I met in real life didn’t have a giant bronze dragon and couldn’t be considered a weyrleader in any sense. Plus, they weren’t as courageous or as handsome!

3. John Aversin from Barbara Hambly’s Dragonsbane – I got into this series (Winterlands) when I was in 10th grade and absolutely obsessed with dragons. John appealed to me because he’s not your typical warrior, he’s protective of his wife Jenny – and of course, “the shy, fleeting sweetness of his smile.”

4. Harry Potter from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series – I had a crush on Harry long before the first movie came out. I’ll admit – Daniel Radcliffe is cute, but he’s got nothing on the way I had pictured Harry in my head. Back when I was in 6th grade, Harry Potter was my number one crush – I had a thing for guys with dark hair and magical powers.

5. Captain Queeg from Herman Wouk’s The Caine Mutiny – Most people in their right minds wouldn’t want Captain Queeg as a boyfriend – and neither do I. He wouldn’t even be on this list if I didn’t have a dream about him marrying me on board a ship, clicking his metal balls together in his hand the whole time.

6. Gareth from Barbara Hambly’s Dragonsbane – I’m not sure who appealed to me most in the Winterlands series, Gareth (can’t seem to recall his last name) or John. I liked Gareth because he was so naive, clumsy, and nerdish and to me, it seemed that his personality changes the most out of all the characters in the book – and possibly the entire series.

7. Harold Skimpole from Charles Dickens’s Bleak House – When I had to read Bleak House in my sophomore year of college, the childish, irresponsible Harold Skimpole seriously reminded me of the guy I was dating at the time. Both Harold and my current boyfriend had no concept of time or money – and both used their “ignorance” of these things to manipulate others. Never thought reading Bleak House could give me dating advice, but…

8. Thomas Sutpen from William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! – Had to read this book during a literature class I took in college that focused exclusively on Faulkner’s life and works. After I broke up with the aforementioned Harold Skimpole-esque boyfriend, I realized in hindsight (always 20/20) that he reminded me of Sutpen, too. Both the boyfriend and Sutpen wanted to renounce their social position and family. They always wanted to create some kind of aristocracy/dynasty in which their followers (usually females) waited on them hand and foot. Interesting how hindsight works…

9. Sir Galahad from traditional Arthurian legends – He might have existed at some point, but I’ll consider him fictional. He’s characterized as the “perfect knight” and he focuses on purity and God. There are honestly not enough guys like that in real life – Galahad needs to be given more credit as a male role model.

10. Ryan Lee from my own XIII series – Ryan is one of the only characters that I never based off any living person. He’s my idea of the perfect boyfriend (but he’s far from being a Gary Stu) – caring, nerdy, considerate, quirky… but he’s got problems expressing his feelings and has a bit of a quick temper. I pray for my “Ryan” to arrive one day…

So that’s it! Thanks for reading and please leave a comment with your top ten fictional boyfriends (or girlfriends)!

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7 thoughts on “Top 10 Fictional Boyfriends”

Fun idea and great post. I’m about to have dinner, so can’t list 10 fictional boyfriends right now.

Besides I’ve got one Prince Charming . . . and he’s for real. He’s been my BFF for 30 years! And we’ve been married for 26. I stopped looking for a Knight in Shining Armor ages ago. I already found him. Lucky me! 🙂